Divisional Round Weekend picks: Which young QB will guide their team to victory?

C.J. Stroud takes on the top-seeded Ravens; Jordan Love can do what his predecessor couldn’t against the 49ers

We are one step closer to figuring out who will be playing in the conference championships next week! The Divisional Round kicks off Saturday with the Houston Texans visiting the AFC-best Baltimore Ravens. Then in the evening, the Green Bay Packers look to exorcise their past playoff demons against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers.

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions seek to build on their historic playoff win at the Rams’ expense when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Finally, the second weekend of the postseason will conclude with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs who will likely be welcomed with a mountain of snow when taking on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Amazingly enough, Sunday’s game in Buffalo will mark Mahomes’ first career road playoff game. There’s nothing like your first time, just ask C.J. Stroud and Jordan love, who each won their postseason debuts last week. The two posted eerily identical stats by completing 76.2 percent of their passes and three touchdown passes, finishing with a 157.2 passer rating. Illuminati confirmed!

Unfortunately, the odds are not in either players’ favor this time around, as the Packers and Texans are 9.5-point underdogs at DraftKings Sportsbook. However, anything can happen in the playoffs. C’mon, did anyone seriously give Green Bay much of a chance in Dallas last week? How about them Cowboys?! LOL!

For the Rams’ sake, let’s hope the Packers can wallop the Niners for their encore performance. Love can do what his predecessor Aaron Rodgers couldn’t, and that is beat the 49ers in the postseason. Rodgers went 0-4 in the playoffs against San Francisco during his 18-year Packers career. Beating a heavily favored powerhouse on the road would be the perfect way for the young gunslinger to get out of the HOF’s shadow.

For my picks this weekend, I like the Ravens in a closer than expected game over the Texans, 49ers over Packers in a rout, Lions over Buccaneers and the Bills over Chiefs in a shootout.